Alecky Blythe returns to the National Theatre for the first time since the critically acclaimed London Road with her panoramic new verbatim play, Our Generation.
Opening in the Dorfman theatre in February and created from five years of interviews with 12 young people from across the UK, Our Generation is a captivating portrait of their journey into adulthood. Making his NT directorial debut, Daniel Evans leads the team in this co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre that will play in the Minerva Theatre from April 2022.
Director Daniel Evans said: “It’s been a real privilege to work on Alecky’s new play, not least to witness how our cast has embraced her technique of recorded delivery. Day by day, the entire team has been bowled over by the real-life stories and words of the younger generation, their resilience, their hope, their aspiration. We’re all looking forward to sharing it with audiences at the NT and at Chichester.”
The cast is Dee Ahluwalia, Joe Bolland, Anna Burnett, Anushka Chakravarti, Debbie Chazen, Gavi Singh Chera, Rachelle Diedericks, Hasan Dixon, Hélder Fernandes, Sarita Gabony, Conor Gormally, Alex Jarrett, Callum Mardy, Poppy Shepherd and Stephanie Street.
Set design is by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, video design by Akhila Krishnan, lighting design by Zoe Spurr, sound design by Paul Arditti, movement direction by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, music composition, production & direction by DJ Walde, dramaturgy by Sebastian Born and casting by Charlotte Sutton.
A public programme of live and digital talks will also be curated by nine young producers from the NT’s How to be a Producer course. Exploring their experiences of what it means to be a young person today, the events will begin from 18 March.